The water was clean all seven days and remained in the upper 70’s. May Day came in with a blast as the fish were chewing. During this report period we caught Pompano, Hardtails, Bonita, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Cobia, Ladyfish, Red Drum, Mahi, Sheepshead, Cigar Minnows, Threadfin Herring, Spanish Sardine, Alewives and big Squid. The weekend saw the pier the most crowded I have ever seen. There was barely elbow room on the rail. Check the screen shot taken at 4:50 Saturday afternoon.
Thursday, May 01, was off the chain, The afternoon King Mackerel bite was crazy hot. When I left the pier at 5:00pm, there had been about 20 Kings Decked. The reports I received after dark were that another 35 to 40 more Kings were decked. All were “Schoolies”. There were several big fish hooked but all were lost. Almost every fish was hooked on the southeast side of the Tee where you had to cast into the wind. Friday brought five more Kings. John and his wife Mary were both trying for Kings. Mary made her first cast and was immediately hooked-up. Mary landed her first ever King on her first cast and to top that, it was on a Gotcha. John didn’t want Mary to beat him and was able to deck a nice 22-pound King – Teamwork. Three other small fish were decked. Saturday five more Kings were caught. That would be all for the period until Wednesday when Allen hooked a small King only to have the tax man “Flipper” eat it.
Mahi-Mahi were moving through several days for this report and several anglers were able to deck at least one. Friday was the best day with ten Mahi decked. They were eating natural bait best, but a few were caught on artificial baits. Dat, Brad, Danny, Rob, Billy and Jose were some of the lucky anglers.
Cobia season is winding down. Several small “pier dwellers” were caught this week but none were over 34-inches. Rod, Jason, Casey, Slick, Hunter and Eddie caught one or more.
Sheepshead were congregating on many of the pilings but for the most part, would not bite. A few were hooked but only two were landed, Mark got his first of the year on a Fiddler crab and Sam decked one using a live Sand Flea.
Red Drum and Pompano were active in the shallows. The Pompano bite has slowed considerably since last month but several anglers were able to catch their daily limits. Reds were a bit more finicky but a few were caught.
Bonita were thick Thursday and feeding. Good numbers were caught. Most were small like the one Bob is holding.
Reminder Notice: There will be a memorial service and bench dedication for our friend Von Haynes on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., on the M. B. Miller Pier. (see: Von-486387765)
Also, we lost another pier family member, Mikel Clark. Please keep Mikel and his family in your thoughts and prayers. (see: Mikel-480632871)
Daily activity:
Thursday: water temp 77.4 – 79.2 Good wind and chop with clean water. Pompano, Hardtails, Lots of Bonita and Spanish Mackerel, the King Mackerel bite was crazy hot- at least 20 fish caught by 5:00pm and then another 35-40 between then and after sunset, all “schoolies: There were too many lost to count. There were several big fish hooked but all were in the lost count. A vast majority of the bite was on the east side of the Tee. Bait was very limited but there were a few Alewives and Threadfin Herring
Friday: water temp 78.1 – 80.2 Good wind and chop with clean water. Four undersize Cobia, 10 Mahi, 1 Bonita in am then a good run in pm, Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, four “schoolie” King Mackerel and one 22# (Mary C hot her first ever on her first cast on a Gotcha and her husband John got a 22#), Threadfin Herring
Saturday: water temp 78.4 – 77.7 Water clean. Five King Mackerel, 2 undersize Cobia, Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish. Hardtails and a few Pompano
Sunday: water temp 76.5 – 78.8 Water clean. Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, Ladyfish, one Mahi, one Sheepshead
Monday: water temp 76.1 – 77.5 Water clean. A Red Drum, two Mahi, a few Pompano and Spanish Mackerel
Tuesday: water temp.76.8 – 78.3 Water clean. A few Pompano and Spanish Mackerel, big Squid, lots of Hardtails and a Sheepshead
Wednesday: water temp 77.0 – 77.5 Water clean. Strong winds mid-afternoon. A few Pompano in pm and Spanish Mackerel. “Flipper” was eating every bait we put into the water and some of the Spanish. One King Mackerel hooked and lost to “Flipper”. Two in-slot Red Drum. Cigar minnows, Speedos and a few Spanish Sardine.
Red Tide status: In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Tides Link
https://tides4fishing.com/us/florida-west-coast/panama-cityngin g
Full Moon Monday May 12, 2025 - New Moon Monday May 26, 2025
Tides for the upcoming week:
Sunrise: 5:53am Sunset: 7:25pm
Thursday 08th. 1:21am Low 0.6 8:52am High 1.0
5:44pm Low 0.4
Friday 6:16pm Low 0.2 8:48am High 1.3
Saturday 6:51pm Low 0.1 8:41am High 1.3
Sunday 7:33pm Low 0.0 8:48am High 1.5
Monday 8:21pm Low -0.1 9:14am High 1.6
Tuesday 9:11pm Low -0.2 9:50am High 1.6
Wednesday 14th. 10:01pm Low -0.2 10:34am High 1.7
Sunrise: 5:49am Sunset: 7:29pm CST
The Marine forecast for the next several days is:
THURSDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight.
FRIDAY
Southwest winds around 5 knots, increasing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southeast after midnight. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A slight chance of thunderstorms. Showers.
SUNDAY
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
MONDAY
South winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
MONDAY NIGHT
Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots. Waves 1 foot or less. Protected waters a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
(local forecast).
THURSDAY (79/71 rain 57% wind S-11)
FRIDAY (77/68 rain 59% wind SSW-10)
SATURDAY (78/68 rain 87% wind SE-12)
SUNDAY (77/69 rain 64% wind SE-13)
MONDAY (78/71 rain 45% wind SSW-12)
TUESDAY (78/71 rain 13% wind SW-13)
WEDNESDAY(82/72 rain 06% wind SW-10)
PIER MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Bay County Parks and Recreation – 5304 Majetti Tower Road Panama City, FL 32404
850-248-8730
Vince Martin – Bay Co. Parks Division Manager - vmartin@baycountyfl.gov - 850-896-6580
Timothy Pentice- Bay Co. Asst. Div. Mgr. – tprentice@baycountyfl.gov – 448-217-4219
Tight lines and screaming drags,
Sam
SLP053@BELLSOUTH.NET
770-265-2879
